I'm going to suggest a "bamboo" mimic cork floor (because that's what I do...cork flooring). I do this because a tremendous amount of people have used this floor to CREATE an asiatic feel to their space.

Please enjoy the photos as well as the floor. Perhaps there are design elements in the photos (other than the floor) that inspire you!

Suggest you go to a book store and look at decorating books with Oriental style in mind. Most Oriental is either mostly neutrals and earth tones with pops of color (lacquer red, vermillion - what color is that? saffron, cobalt blue). I bet houzz has a few ideabooks about Oriental.

Cork floors will work. It's natural and a renewable resource. It's probably more reasonable than teak. Check out bamboo. It's less expensive too, and comes in various shades.

Re-doing your kitchen to Oriental means pulling out all those lights (which I'd do no matter what style you choose). Your kitchen looks empty. It needs a counter from the wall at the end of what currently exists. Something with a distressed wood countertop and two stools (tall or short). The cabinets can be painted according to your color scheme (lacquer red on top, glossy black below? Remove the inset on the uppers and replace with a carved lattice design?)

I would add an Asian style wallpaper to the walls...perhaps only the wall against which you were standing when you shot the photo, if there is a wall there as I suspect there is. The other walls could be painted the background color of the wallpaper. The Asian chest, below, would look great against the wallpaper. I like the glass top table below for the dining area, even tho it's not truly Asian. Adding brass drawer pulls to the cabinets would leand an Asian air to them.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

@Carolyn.. so far so good! How about you? Have a good New Years?
shannel...I think simple, asian inspired chairs would look nice (in a wood tone closer to your cabinets) and keep the kitchen simple with clean lines. I like deco's photo with the nice oval chandelier.

For a 'wow' factor you might think about painting in red lacquer either the walls or the cabinets and installing strongly Asian influenced hardware. Neither of these two suggestions would break your budget. Examples below:

For a more invested decision, try a strong oriental rug and/ or an oriental drapery treatment at the window. Of course, anytime you can introduce a piece of chinoiserie you will invoke the orient. Or a rustic chinese table.... And add asian inspired accessories, like the following chandelier:

You really have a blank slate to start with and that is good. I would paint the walls a cinnabar color which is an orangy red, add a pagoda style tole chandelier and Funritnure that has an oriental feel. Put some blue and white blue willow plates on the walls. The best place to get ideas is a blog called Choisserie Chic. Daily posting with great ideas.

here is a pic of my kitchen with the walls painted blue. I like the red, was thinking about doing a different acccessory color but since im going for japanese style i think the red looks good. let me know wha you suggest to this now that you see the embellished blue on the wall.

I never lived in Japan, so I hesitate to say this, but the shade of blue I see on your walls is not what I think of as typically Japanese. I think of the blue that is in the blue and white porcelains as a Japanese blue, and I see it in a blue and white scheme, not blue and red.

here is a seating arrangment that i was crushing over when i first got my condo. I was thinking of putting a straight low table against the left side wall with the round seats and directly across i was going to do a high bar table for company who does not want to sit on the floor.

caroyln there is no limit when it comes to japanes style/fashion. your eye will only let you see as far as you let it. if you look at the pic that olldj22 posted with the blue , red, gold etc you may get a feel of the look im going for. Maybe i should not have said japanese. i just want an oriental style kitchen, feng shui feel to my home...

olldj22 thank you for your inspirations, i was thinking of covering my tile flooring but i love it so much! a friend suggested i add a wooded baboo type covering once i get my table situated.... maybe i should just leave it bare?

YESSSS Olldj22 you are in my head!!! LOL! I was thinking the same thing about the tatami mat under the table. So do you agree with a high table directly across from the low table?? for those who cant sit that low?

Most kitchens do not have room for 2 tables. Measure the tables that interest you and the floor space, too. Start with the low table and maybe use a temporary folding bridge table for the few times you'll need it?

Carolyn, blue and red actually is a very Japanese combination. The blue is the faded indigo of yukata and the red is the bright red of wedding kimono linings. The red can also be the shibui red of old lacquerware.

I'm over the blue walls... or am I??? I am still in a rut on how to DEC my kitchen in an oriental style. I added a wall piece since my last post. I'm thinking take the red away and bring out colors from that? still no kitchen table...Ive hung 2 screens I've always had to save money from buying a Shoji screen! please help!!! .

stain the cabinets black or espresso ( brown-black) and find some interesting Asian inspired hardware.. Swap out your appliances for black as well. change the shade on the window for something Asian inspired. It's hard to tell on thecountertops but an earthy feeling would be good. paint in a beige. change the light fixture to an Asian inspired fixture. What would be really cool is lay a bamboo click lock floor down and try to find a bamboo butcher block countertop. Though I'm sure bamboo countertops would be custom and expensive lol.